Neckband former



Feb. 16, 1932. R. c. PAULY 1,844,975

NECKBAND FORMER Filed Nov. 7, 1929 INVENTOR Patented Feb. 16, 1932 a UNITED STATES ROBERT o. PAULY, or. CINCINNATIQOHIO, AssIeNoR To THE AMERICAN LAUNDRY MA- CHINERY COMPANY, or CINCINNATI, 0310,}; CORPORATION OF OHIO NEC'KB AND" FORMER Application filed November 7, 19 29. SerialNo. 405,416.

This invention relates to improvements in neckband formers used with shirt ironing machines for the purpose of holding in proper position, during the ironingof the shirt bosom, the shirt neckband or the collar of the shirt, if the collar is an attached one.

The general objects of the present invention are the provision of an improved neckband former which is of simple and durable construction, easily controlled and efficient in use A more specific object of the presentinvention is the provision of a neckband former having simple and improved means for enabling the former to hold in proper position, during the ironing of the shirt bosom, the

neckbands and the attached collars, if there The invention will be readily understood from the following description thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the present neckband former mounted upon the bed of a shirt ironing machine, said former being shown in expanded position and a shirt being indicated in dash-dot lines; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the present neckband former, two eX-' panded positions thereof being shown in dash-dot lines; Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of a shirt ironing machine, with the bed of which the present neckband former is used; and Fig. 5 is a detail View of the means for preventing damage to the collar of a collar attached shirt during the act of bringing the two pressing members of the machlne into engagement for the lronlng operatlon' L The present neckband former may be embodied in shirt ironing machines of various forms or types, and for purposes of illustrai tion, is shown in Fig. 4 as embodied in a shirt ironing machine of a more or less standard, type. So far as description is here necessary, the machine includes a suitable frame (not shown) on which is mounted a pedestal I1 carrying the lower pressing member or bed 2-. Cooperating with said lower pressingmemher is the upper pressing member 3 which is mounted upon the front end of a head lever4 pivoted at 5 in the machine frame. Suitable 1' I mechanism is, of course, provided for mov- Mounted on the lower pressing member 2,

preferably at the left hand end thereof, is the present improved neckband former. Said former includes a body portion 10 secured on the lower pressing member 2 by two bolts,'a front bolt 11 and a rear bolt 12. Pivotally mounted'on bolt 11 is the righthand end of a front wing 13 and pivotally mounted on the rear bolt 12 is the right hand end of a rear wing 14. These two wings are normally urged toward expanded position, that is, the front wing 13 is normally urged tog ward the front and the rear wing 14 is'normally urged toward the rear, by springs 15, mounted on bolts 11 and 12 and engaging said wings. At the'right hand side of the body portion 10 are two upstanding flanges of generally arcuate shape, there being a front flange 17 which curves forwardly from substantialy the middle of said right hand side to or almost to the front bolt 11 and a rear flange 18 whichcurves rearwardly from substantially the middle ,of said right hand body portion side to or almost to the rear bolt 12. 1

These oppositely curved flanges 17 and 18 are adapted, of course, for engagement with the front portions of the neckband of a shirt,

the wings 13 and 14 being substantially continuations thereof and being therefore adapt-- ed for engagement with the middle portions of the shirt neckband. For engaging the rear portion of an average size shirt neckband from sizes 12 to 16 for example, the present former is provided with a vertically disposed gripping plate 20 mounted on the left hand surface of a correspondingly disposed flan e 21 formin" an integral part of a saddle lock 22. This saddle block is adapted for longitudinal sliding movement along the central part of the body portion 10, being provided with a centrally disposed, longitudinally extending passageway 25 receiving a correspondingly disposed and correspondingly extending guide rod 24 having its right hand end rigidly secured to the body portion 10 at substantially the middle of the right hand side thereof. The free or left hand ends of wings 13 and 14 are connected to the saddle block 22, at the right hand end thereof, by links 29 and 30 respectively, there being pivotal connections, of course, between said links and said saddle block and between said links and said wings.

In contracted or collapsed position of the parts, as in full lines, Fig. 2, the saddle block 22 lies to the right and the wings 13 and 14,

connected thereto by links 29 and 30, are

drawn inwardly toward each other, all as clearly shown in said view. To hold said saddle block, and hence the wings 13 and 14, in such collapsed position, suitable latching means is provided, the latching means here shown including a latch rod 39 carried by and vertically movable in the right hand end of the saddle block 22 and adapted to have its enlarged tapered lower end seat in a notch 31 in the guide rod 24. A spring 32 surrounding said latch rod and lying within a cavity 33 in the saddle block 22 normally urges said rod downwardly into engagement with the guide rod 24, as indicated. Nuts or other suitable abutments 35 are provided upon the upper end of latch rod 39, for engagement by the bifurcated arm 36 of a release trigger 37 pivoted at 38 in the saddle block 22 and having a thumb operating portion 40.

To release saddle block 22 for sliding movement, it is simply necessary to move trigger 37 in counter-clockwise direction, which through the trigger arm 36 and the latch rod nuts 35, raises said latch rod from engagement with the guide rod 24 upon which said saddle block slides. \Vhen said trigger is released, the spring 32, by its engagement with the enlarged lower end of Said latch rod, forces said rod downwardly into engagement with guide rod 24 and maintains said latch rod, and hence the saddle block 22, in the position to which they have been moved.

The position of a shirt during the ironing of the bosom thereof is indicated in dash-dot lines, Fig. 1. The expanding movement of certain parts of the former makes it necessary, of course, to either connect the ends of the neckband to each other or clamp them against or otherwise secure them to the neckband former. Since it is usually more convenient to avoid the connection of the neckband ends to each other, the present former includes clamping means for holding the neckband ends against the middle of the right hand side of the body portion 10. The clamping means here shown includes a pair of clamping members 42, each pivotally mounted intermediate its ends upon a transversely disposed pin 43 and having at its upper end a thumb actuating button 44. At its lower end, each clamping member has a clamping arm 45 for clamping a shirt neckband end against the body portion 10. A. spring 46 is provided for each clamping member 42, said spring normall tending to move said member in a clockwise direction and its arm 45, therefore, to clamping position.

The saddle block 22 can be moved to the left a sufficient distance to enable its ripping plate 20, at the left hand end thereo to take care of shirt neckbands up to the usual limit, say up to size 16%. When contracted, the neckband former will take a shirt neckband as small as size 12, an unusually small size. The sizes of the neckbands of most shirts coming into a laundry are between 12 and 16 but occasionally, a shirt having a larger neckband is brought in. In order to increase the size range of the present neckband f0rm-' er, an auxiliary gripping plate 50 is provided. This auxiliar gripping plate is carried by an arm 51 0. an L-shaped bracket member having the free end of its other arm 52 ivoted at 53 to the left hand end of the sa dle block 22. When this auxiliary gripping plate is not in use, it stands in a vertical position above the saddle block, as indicated in full lines, Figs. 1 and 3. When a shirt having an extra large neckband is to be ironed, the L- shaped member carrying the auxiliary gri pinlg plate is swun counter-clockwise to t e das -dot position Indicated in Fig. 3. This brings the arm 51 of said L-shaped member into vertical position against and to the left of the main gripping plate 20 and the auxiliary gripping plate 50 still further to the left. With this auxiliary gripping plate, shirt neckbands up to a size 'of 18 can be accommodated or taken care of.

The upper pressing member 3 has, of course, a portion cut away or removed therefrom at its left hand end to provide a recess or cavity 60 to receive the neckband former when the upper pressing member is brought down into engagement with the lower pressing member 2. In bringing the upper pressing member down into ironing engagement with the lower pressing member, the front side of the collar of a collar attached shirt is often caught and crushed by the shoulder 61 of the upper pressing member at the front of the cavity 60 thereof. To make it impossible for the collar of a collar attached shirt to be thus damaged during the closing of the press, the present neckband former is provided with a simple but effective collar holder. The holder here shown is made of a single strip of metal and includes a vertically disposed front portion 65; a correspondingly disposed rear upper portion 66 connected to said front portion by a curved top portion 67; a vertically disposed rear lower portion 68; and a rearwardly extending eye 69 ar- 7 ranged between the upper and lower rear portions 66, 68 and rigidly mounted upon the front bolt 11. The mouth 70 of the holder is, of course, between the lower ends of the front portion 65 and the lower rear portion 68, and to facilitate entry into said mouth, the holder front portion 65 does not extend to as low a point as the holder lower rear portion 68. This holder maintains in proper upright position, the front portion of the collar of a collar attached shirt and eflectively prevents damage to said collar portion, as will be readily understood.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A neckband-engaging attachment for a neckband former of the type comprising a body member and a saddle block member adjustable toward and from the same, said members being provided with oppositely disposed neckband-engaging portions, said at-' taehment comprising a neckband-engaging part pivotally mounted on one of said members of said neckband former and being adapted to be swung from an idle position to a neckband-engaging position in alignment with but extending outwardly beyond the neckband-engaging portion of said member, thereby enabling larger sized shirt neckbands to be accommodated.

2. A neckband-engaging attachment for a neckband former of the type comprising a stationary body member and a saddle block member adjustable toward and from the same, said body member having a neckbandengaging portion and said saddle block member having a neckband-engaging portion fixed thereto and oppositely disposed with respect to the neckband-engaging portion of said body member, said attachment comprising a neckband-engaging part pivotally mounted in said saddle block member and being adapted to be swung from an idle position to a neckband-engaging position in alignment with but extending outwardly beyond the fixed neckband-engaging portion of said saddle block member, thereby enabling larger sized shirt neckbands to be accommodated.

3. A neckband-engaging attachment for a neckband former of the type comprising a block member being provided at an end which is in opposition to the first mentioned end with a vertically disposed neckband engaging portion fixed thereto and facing oppositely to the neckband-engaging portion of said body member, said attachment comprising a bracket having a neckband-engaging part and a part having pivotal connection with the said oppositely disposed end of said saddle block ,member, said bracket being adapted to be swung from an idle'position on top of said saddle block member downwardly to bring its neckband-engaging part to a vertically disposed, neckband-engaging position in alignment with but extending outwardly beyond the fixed neckband-engaging portion of said saddle block member, thereby enabling larger sized shirt neckbands to be accommodated. V

4. In combination, a stationary pressing member for supporting thereon a shirt having an attached collar, a neckband former for said collar mounted on one end portion of said stationary pressing member, a pivotally mounted pressing member adapted to be swung downwardly into engagement with said stationary pressing member for the ironing of the bosom of said shirt and having a' recess to receive said former, said former having at its front side a holder for the front part of the collar of said shirt, said holder preventing said collar from being damaged signature.

ROBERT C. PAULY. 

